Modi slams Congress over Waqf Act opposition, accuses party of muslim appeasement and ignoring Ambedkar's legacy

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress over its opposition to the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the party of appeasing Muslim fundamentalists and said its resistance to the new legislation is proof of that. He also questioned why the Congress does not appoint a Muslim party president or allocate 50 per cent of its election tickets to Muslim candidates.

The Prime Minister made these remarks during the inauguration of the Hisar airport in Haryana, calling it a major milestone in the state’s developmental progress. On the occasion of BR Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, the Dalit icon and architect of the Constitution, Modi said his government draws inspiration from Ambedkar's efforts. "Every decision and policy is dedicated to Babasaheb Ambedkar," he said.

Criticising the Congress, he alleged that the party had reduced the Constitution to a tool for staying in power. "During the Emergency, the spirit of the Constitution was killed to retain power. The Constitution talks about a secular civil code, but Congress never implemented it. Today, a uniform civil code has been implemented in Uttarakhand. Unfortunately, the Congress is opposing this. Congress never bothered to check if the benefits of reservation reached SC/ST and OBC communities," the Prime Minister said.

He also accused the Congress of disrespecting Ambedkar during his lifetime. "We must never forget what the Congress did to Babasaheb Ambedkar. While he was alive, the party insulted him repeatedly. They made him lose elections twice. Congress wanted to uproot him; they conspired to keep him out of the system. After his death, they even tried to erase his memory. Babasaheb stood for equality, but Congress spread the virus of vote-bank politics throughout the country," he said.

Modi reiterated that Ambedkar had rejected the idea of religion-based reservations. "Congress's appeasement politics has harmed the Muslims too. Congress has only made some fundamentalists happy. The rest of the society remained uneducated and poor. The biggest proof of this wrong approach is in the Waqf law," he said.

The Prime Minister alleged that the Congress made arbitrary amendments to the Waqf law for political gains, thereby distorting constitutional principles. "I want to ask these vote-bank hungry leaders, if you care about the Muslims, why doesn't Congress make a Muslim its party president. Give 50 per cent tickets in Lok Sabha election to Muslims. If they win, they would put forward their views. But no, they won't give (Muslims) anything in the Congress. They will snatch the rights of citizens. Their intention was never to do anything good for anyone," he said.

He further pointed out that a large portion of land across the country is designated as Waqf property. "If Waqf properties had been used honestly, Muslim youths wouldn't need to earn a livelihood from repairing bicycle punctures. But only a few land mafia benefited from these properties. This mafia was looting lands belonging to Dalit, backward sections and widows. The loot of the poor will stop after these changes to the Waqf law. Under the new Waqf law, land or property belonging to tribals cannot be touched by the Waqf Board. Poor Muslims and Pasmanda Muslims will get their rights. This is real social justice," he said.

Responding to the Prime Minister, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that BR Ambedkar always emphasized the value of education and accused the current government of failing to follow his vision. "They (BJP) only speak against Congress, Nehru ji and all we have done until now. But, I ask what have they done till now and which of Babasaheb's principles have they adopted?" he asked.

Citing the Women’s Reservation Act, which mandates 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, Kharge said, "When the Women's Reservation Bill was passed 2 years ago, the Congress demanded that it be implemented immediately. Our demand was that SC, ST and OBC women be given reservation in it. This is our objective. We have been fighting for this for a long time," he said.